Household saving is defined as the difference between a household’s disposable income (wages, income of the self-employed and net property income) and its consumption (expenditures on goods and services.)

Global Finance unveils its annual lists of the best banks in the world, globally, regionally and by country. The winners outperformed their peers and provide top-notch service to clients in a challenging environment.

Global banks have been reducing correspondent banking clients, either because they are commercially unviable or they fail today’s higher financial crime prevention standards. Efforts are now being made to rectify the situation.

The banking industry’s leading lights have largely adjusted their business plans to a world of tighter regulations, higher capital requirements and less leverage. Now, they are taking on new competitors by embracing the very information technology that has disrupted their business.

The so-called Panama Papers, more than 11 million leaked documents from a Panamanian law firm, are shining a spotlight on the scope and financial impact of the offshoring financial industry and global efforts to move assets to tax havens or less-regulated jurisdictions.

The Middle East is no stranger to political and economic uncertainty, but simmering religious and political tensions and stubbornly low oil prices have dealt the region a difficult hand. The question now is: How will countries play in order to win?

Capital Markets | Fixed Income
A bail-in provision, which places the onus on bondholders and other investors to write down their holdings in the event of winding up a troubled financial institution within the European Union, came into effect on January 1, 2016.

Saudi Arabia is the Gulf Cooperation Council’s largest economy, but major economic, political and social challenges threaten the kingdom’s immediate economic future. Reducing its dependence on oil and gas is now a case of when, not if.

FinTech | Trends
The launch of the blockchain-enabled asset trading platform Nasdaq Linq, Goldman Sachs’ filing of a patent for a securities settlement system based on a new virtual currency called SETLcoin, and the continued rise of blockchain banking consortium R3 all point to a race by financial institutions to harness the power of the blockchain.